5 Reasons to HATE the 2 Series

[@iamtygar]

oil temp gauge has to be my biggest complaint - as i dont work on my own car. other than that, best car ive ever owned hands down.

[@GrahamQuigley]

I love love my ‘14 M235i. Just ticked 80k and she’s a Beast! This was the absolute best purchase I’ve ever made. Flew down to LA on a 1Way plane ticket, bought for $32k w/23k miles, and then drove her all the way up Highway 1 😎 It was $53k new, I LOVE my M235i.

[@Cadillacfrank94]

2015 about to hit 80k and I love mine too!

[@antoniopaniagua7271]

@@Cadillacfrank94 would you recommend getting one years 2014-16 and 30k-65 k ????

[@antoniopaniagua7271]

Mikes of course ^

[@TrackandBuild]

Pro's and con's really depend on its application. As an owner of M240i for four years and having modified it to reach the M2 territory on race tracks, my take is M240i/M235i is a great daily driver and you can also greatly enjoy the canyon driving in its stock form(and it's fast!). But if you ever plan to track this car, get an M2 instead. Despite all the mods you can do, there're things you simply can not change such as body rigidity, wide track width and big wheel wells, which are essential for a track car.

[@FritzRamos]

Well said and with great detail. Thank you so much for sharing that especially with all your knowledge from track experience. I'm speaking only from a street driving perspective so your insight is very appreciated.

[@noahmcauley4112]

Very true. Although it’s a bit controversial, I like the b58 more than the s55/n55 in the M2’s. Overall a better street car imo

[@nofilter2091]

Speaking of plastic failure points, similar to the charge pipe- the plastic Coolant expansion hose is notorious for breaking and by default you should just have one handy. If your vehicle has over 60K miles, it would be advisable to replace it. It's a very simple inexpensive thing to replace and will leave you stranded when it fails.

[@stephenlozano2816]

Agreed, I would replace the coolant expansion tank hose every 45k-50k miles

[@user-Thomson1311]

What side of the engine is that hose located?

[@degameheer1803]

For issue 3 there is a fix, hit the "bc" button on your indicator stock untill it shows oil temp

[@aaron81931]

My biggest complaint with my M235i is the oil temp gauge as you mentioned. However not too far behind is the inconvenience that if you want to change the a/c temperature you have to adjust both sides. Why not have a but that makes it automatic or dual? My ford truck has that option. I set the temp for the truck and all the vents do the same, but if I hit the "dual" button it allows the passenger to change their side.

[@bella_testastretta]

few of my complaints are: -no inner door handle -legroom on your right leg is limited and your seat/body position is slightly tilted to the left to accommodate the engine/transmission. (for DD it's fine but on long road trips it gets annoying) -the "M235i" logo that won't disappear from the dash to remind you that you didn't get the M2 -brittle coolant reservoir line&charge pipe that's guaranteed to break before 60k miles -no room in the rear to fit wider wheels/tires -no oil temp gauge but on the other hand, this is the best/most reliable BMW I've owned so far and the N55 in this thing seems to be holding up very well with BM3 Stage 2 tune

[@FritzRamos]

Thanks for sharing and I understand your frustration, especially with that skinny brittle coolant line. You're not the first person to bring up the seat position. I never noticed it, but when I installed the M4 seats they would make sounds.Turns out that they were rubbing against the center trim under the arm rest. So I just loosened the bolts and slid the chairs over. So there is a bit of room to play with, hope that helps.

[@artienbraum]

When closing the door, I find myself reaching for the storage compartment lip towards the back and pulling on that so as to not rip anything out. Hand placement there is a lot more natural and doesn't require as much force since you've got leverage on your side.

[@FritzRamos]

Excellent tip! Thanks for sharing

[@hyde_official]

On point!! I agree with you about the practicality of closing the door on 2 series isn't great at all. I had this same concern on my 228i (no longer a concern after accepting the fact it is what it is). Additionally, the lack of hand grip (the Oh my!!! hand grip that you see overhead the passenger and driver seat). For the space to work on the engine bay. almost all BMW have tight space except the N20 and N26 have more space to work on which gives you a lot of flexibility to add more DIY parts in the engine bay. But gosh, plastic parts everywhere. They could have used aluminum instead. Like for the charge pipe. If I want to install the WMI, i need to first get an aftermarket metal charge pipe.

[@f22jax]

I have an LCI model and it shows the BC oil temp gauge. Also with the door closing, just grab the storage compartment on the bottom closest to the B-pilar.

[@user-dg7gn4qk1y]

i have a 16 with M features turbo 4 cyl (tuned) 320 HP an absolute rocket looks and runs like new, paid for and love it

[@mikeyeung3320]

#6 the streaks caused by the door on the interior windows when you roll them up and down!

[@FritzRamos]

Ooo that's a good one.

[@SenorFr0zn]

For me it's the size of the wheel wells, so frustrating that you can barely fit bigger wheels/tires on this car unless the offset is perfect. I have a set of Apex FL-5s and wound up just keeping the 225/245 PS4S set I had since I couldn't fit 245 square and didn't want to throw away my old tires.

[@FritzRamos]

It is a very slim wheel well indeed. I was able to get in a square 245 setup on the m235i without spacers, but the camber and caster needs to be appropriately dialed in.

[@josemancia6160]

I own the base model 2015 228i and I get lots of fun with that car, is not as fast as this one but fast enough for an amateur enthusiast like me 🥳 thanks for all your videos, I learned a lot here.

[@FritzRamos]

Thank you for sharing. The 2 series in general is a fun set of cars and I'm happy to hear you are enjoying yours.

[@johnfrancis6329]

No oil temp reading is a flaw only for the pre-LCI cars. LCI cars received an updated cluser which will display the oil temp on the little cluster screen once unlocked by Bimmercode/Carly. It is worth noting that the LCI cluster can be installed onto pre-LCI cars. Whereas for the limited working space - I couldn't agree more. I recently replaced my thermostat after failure and as a safety measure also replaced the water pump. It was hell literally.

[@icebear1935]

oil temp gauge can be rectified with a p3 aircon gauge. Door handle not too annoying, but reaching the seat belt is cumbersome. It is a good bang for buck car, but when against an equivalent generation M car it is then put to shame in the looks department.

[@FritzRamos]

Well said. I thought the m235i was a great looking car when it came out, but after the M2C and M2CS it leaves a lot to be desired in the looks department.

[@tristont4204]

Mine comes in today!! I been watching your videos and thank you for the good information

[@FritzRamos]

No problem! How are you enjoying your car so far?

[@johnboggiano]

Door handles... Fritz, the edge of the door pocket is ridged for strength all the way along. A handy secondary handle.

[@FritzRamos]

👏👏👏 What a great suggestion! Thanks for the tip!

[@DJ_MH_Remixes]

Nice video bro. How many KMs or miles do you drive in a year? Average I love your M235i

[@MotoGearTV]

Nice points you brought up, surprised you didn't mention anything about how hard it is to reach the seatbelts lol..it's a pain on my M2, I just leave them to hang on my seat bolster 😅.

[@FritzRamos]

I know EXACTLY what you mean! My trick is to grab it from the bottom with my left hand.

[@burvie1660]

There is a oil temp gauge guys scroll through with your bc button and it has a oil temp symbol type thing and then wait and couple seconds and it will pull up a horizontal line to show you your oil temp

[@iamalexunot3121]

hey fritz - good job! i really enjoy watching your videos and really learned a lot from it! wish you the best

[@anjdog2003]

I have a 2021 M235 and i love it

[@bradofwar5960]

LCI cluster in my M140i has oil temperature so no premature wear because I can see when oil is at temperature to get into high rpm.

[@FritzRamos]

Nice. Thanks for sharing

[@jappyisduhrandom]

Hey man, great video! I was wondering what year is this? Also, have you experienced anything with the timing chain issue?

[@jg_media9]

Great video 👍 these cars are definitely fun to work on regardless of the few things that NEED to be remedied

[@FritzRamos]

Couldn't agree more. Thanks for the support 🤜🤛

[@Perpetuum_1502]

You did a lot of very good videos about this model with all kinds of upgrades and modes. Kudos to you! Could you please share the source for that beautiful carbon fiber brace that's similar to the one on M4 but fits to M235i or M240i engine bay? Thank you in advance!

[@syberr3135]

Another informative video on a magnificent vehicle well done fritz thank you for the constant content 👍

[@FritzRamos]

My pleasure! Thank you so much for your support and happy new year!

[@stephenlozano2816]

I can’t believe you don’t have a P3 air vent gauge installed in your car yet? That was one of my first modifications

[@dedan2]

Expensive + takes up too much of the air vent

[@stephenlozano2816]

@@dedan2 no way, I get plenty of cold air out of that vent and I’m in Hot ass Tucson Arizona

[@DocTango]

I added a kies crank seal guard... That jobber made me not want to work on my car ever again... I have to do my Oil filter housing and valve cover gasket next... Again, I don't want to be the one working on my car anymore, especially in the summer heat of Central Texas.

[@atosunor]

Great information for a great car, thank you! I finally found one for my budget, but it has 135k km's/ 85k miles on it and 2014 construction with all options included. Do you think it is worth the risk? Since this car is out of production (2014-2016), I don't have that many options.

[@Mertzy63]

Fritz has another video talking about 6 common issues right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYG8YWCrZdF1o5Y If you're new to BMW's, gaskets can be a common issue (vanos/oil pan). Water pumps are also known to fail prematurely. I know the charge pipe and boost pipe being made of plastic and constantly being thermal cycled causes them to break prematurely (also probably due to pressure). There are a plethera of videos by both Fritz, FCP Euro, and Kies Motorsports of DIY's in changing these items. As far as the car being out of production I wouldn't worry about that too much. Sites like Pelican Parts and FCP Euro provide all the parts you would need and these cars seem to always get a very good aftermarket following (if history shows us anything about the F22's predecessors [E30, E36, E46, etc.]). For whatever you decide I hope the car meets your expectations! I have a 228i XDrive M Sport that I absolutely love and will continue driving for as long as I can.

[@atosunor]

​@@Mertzy63 Thanks Jerrod, both for the information and good wishes! Yes, I watched it just before I watched this video. It seems that those common problems are easy to manage for the price of a really nice car. But I don't know the big things. Like what happens to the cars when they reach, lets say 200k km or 250k? Do engines go unusable after a certain km or year, are there ways to solve that? If it is just changing parts, do the preventive maintenance and take good care of it, I can do it. I never owned a performance car or maintained one before. I have a 2016 1.4 tsi golf with low milage just for daily commute. I just went to the usual normal checks for yearly inspections. Thats why, I'm clueless about owning a car like M235i. I watch videos, but thats just it, real experience is not there :) And lastly, what I meant with the car being out of production was that it is really hard to find low milage ones (from what I've seen). It's been 6-8 years. The ones that are low milage are either convertibles or very poorly equipped in terms of technologies/specs.

[@dwkwb8]

Hey Fritz, what seats do you have? Are those out of an M2 or out of an M3 or M4?

[@nicholasvonrhine6311]

Its a great car and if you can turn a wrench its a win.

[@FritzRamos]

I couldn't agree more

[@Woof1022]

any plans on doing a video about rear and front shocks? looking to switch to bilsteins soon.

[@FritzRamos]

Already did, but I went with KW kzbin.info/www/bejne/lamUo3WIhZimmck

[@Woof1022]

@@FritzRamos awesome, thanks mate.

[@FritzRamos]

@@Woof1022 no problem 👍

[@JasonLitman]

Aluminum coolant flange is a big hassle saver as well

[@FritzRamos]

You read my mind. Just waiting for it to arrive

[@JasonLitman]

@@FritzRamos CNC oem+ ftw!

[@hass1005]

Hey fritz, concerning the oil temp thing, in the owner’s manual at page 217 it is mentioned that « do not wait until engine warms up, drive away immediately ». I know it sounds stupid and won’t follow this instruction but I wanted to know what you think about that statement ? Do you think that the car is designed to drive away immediately ?

[@BrianJohnson-kh7mg]

I'm sure you can drive it. But you shouldn't rev it past 3k until the oil is up to temp

[@FritzRamos]

You don't have to wait for 5 minutes or anything like that. I usually start the car and get situated (pick my podcast get on my seatbelt, ect.) then go so that's only about a few seconds to a minute. However I do take it easy until I come up to operating temp.

[@FritzRamos]

Good points

[@petern8824]

Have you ever done the differential fluids in your car?

[@FritzRamos]

No. Unless you're doing a swap or something is obviously wrong, it's not advised to change the fluid.

[@nidean653]

I just bought a 2015 m235i, I am just wondering whats the normal operating temperature of coolant and engine oil??? Mine is at 105 degrees and 115 degrees respectively.

[@FritzRamos]

Yes. That's within the normal range. Don't be alarmed if it goes a little higher as well

[@nidean653]

@@FritzRamos Thank you !

[@Gearsandco]

I don't know but I have something to this bmw I always wanted, I owned a 2014 M-Sport bmw 328i and I did tons of mods LSD KW V2 suspension full bolt on m performance breaks and so on these cars are Modification addict you start with a small mod and you keep going until you reach M car Price

[@FritzRamos]

Very true but you get the satisfaction of building it yourself. Sounds like you have an excellent car 👌

[@Gearsandco]

@@FritzRamos thank you yes i did put alot of effort and money in to it.

[@mp235i9]

I hate that I can’t have wider tire in the front that why I’m looking into retrofitting the m2 fender

[@FritzRamos]

You should be able to get in a 245 without spacers. Here's how I did it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/omnXeoKNdtKCn5I

[@Mau105]

The interior door handle is unforgivable. It is beyond stupid. It would seem a total aftermarket replacement would have shown up by now replacing the handle withe something useful. A cut out behind the window switches would have been easy. Relocating the window switches adjacent to shift knob would also have been easier and much better. Damping the trunk closer so it doesn't close like a worn out '74 Chevy... To add to the list. I think this is my last BMW... Still this car is brilliant.

[@MK-bm8yn]

You should retrofit the lci taillights for the 2 series, they look heaps better in my opinion. Plan on retrofitting them on my 228i. Just thought it could be a cool video for you to make.

[@Cliffracer46]

Hey bro, do you still have the 228

[@MK-bm8yn]

@@Cliffracer46 i do, whats up

[@Cliffracer46]

@@MK-bm8yn Have you tried the M235 by any chance? I was considering getting one over my current 228i. It's still a wonderful car and I haven't had any issues so far (fingers crossed) in 60k miles, was just wondering how the m235 behaves in comparison.

[@MK-bm8yn]

@@Cliffracer46 I haven’t but I have tuned mine (265whp 330tq) the m235i has a little more hp stock. I was thinking of upgrading too but I’ve always wanted an M2 (N55) but the car market is still a little ridiculous. I’m 20 so insurance doesn’t help either.

[@Cliffracer46]

@@MK-bm8yn same, I’m 22 though. Wanted a m235 because it is a lot cheaper than the M2, the price difference in the 2nd hand market is around 12k right now Am just worried about weight difference as the 228i feels pretty good and agile

[@ben33584]

What are the specs for those Michelin pilot port 4 tires?

[@tomasprieto9746]

Really wish that the m235i came with a LSD standard

[@FritzRamos]

That would have been a phenomenal deal, we can dream lol but they charge a subscription for heated seats now. So providing value isn't at the top of BMWs list 🥲

[@tomasprieto9746]

@@FritzRamos would you ever consider installing one on your car?

[@FritzRamos]

@@tomasprieto9746 I would probably go with Wavetrac at some point down the line.

[@mbardos]

Looking into these cars myself, but the fact that it has no LSD, like my current Seat Cupra 280 comes with standard, is a nonsense, I feel

[@Tearyourbra]

At how many kms/miles do we need to change the chargepipe?

[@FritzRamos]

Mine was good through 30k. Some people have had theirs go before and after that. No real mileage on it, sorry

[@user-dg7gn4qk1y]

Be happy its not on the fritz !

[@GodKing804]

For me it's the lack of HUD for this gen of 2s

[@FritzRamos]

I hear you, the "retrofits" don't have a real clean look either

[@Johnrrrrr]

What rims are they mate?

[@cheec8548]

Trying too hard to find things to upgrade. “Door handle that works in the rain” that doesn’t sound very smart

[@laflame1339]

I hate that it doesn’t have remote start

[@lawrencelitterini4973]

Bottom line is this. BMW is a love hate relationship . That being said there is not a car you can buy that does not have something or things that will drive you nuts. Nothing is perfect

[@tobywilliams5630]

just bought one today and realized there's no back up camera..... 😑

[@FritzRamos]

Really?! That's lame. If you're in the bay area I have an aftermarket backup camera you can have

[@tobywilliams5630]

@@FritzRamos Hey Thanks for the offer, but I'm in NY. Great Videos!!

[@justingrago8223]

@@tobywilliams5630 ayeeee where in NY? I’m looking at buying an M235i here soon

[@adrianlala5044]

Does is have a temperature gauge at least lol

[@Tight--LiNeZ]

This is why you get the M135i/M140i. Oh that's write, America never gets the cool cars.

[@derekschommer1465]

the intro made me feel like you were trying to seduce me lol

[@FritzRamos]

Uh oh! I don't know if that's a good or bad thing 😅

[@cjmoritz]

how can you not mention tire/wheel size, its a joke on that model, way under tired and no fix

[@saintjohn3620]

Dude really complained about the inside door handles lol, slap yourself

[@zcmdzpp127]

I would say it’s not a b58 or 240i 😂